Goumi Berries: yea or nay?
Trying to decide on whether to plant these early-season fruiting shrubs? This feedback poll may help you decide.
Cliff notes:
About 50% of gardeners I polled like Goumi berries in their garden. About half of those love the flavor, the other half seem to find them an acceptable nibble.
The other 50% find the flavor yucky or their shrubs get stripped by birds before they can even get to them.
My garden
I do not have Goumi berries. I have long-considered whether or not I should plant them. Word is, they are a very early-season fruit. They also tolerate quite a bit of shade and drought.
I did try to plant them. But what was sold to me by an obscure nursery out of Molalla was not in fact Goumi, but two other eleagnus species that never set any fruit. One that is super invasive on the east coast, the other a Russian Olive that flowered but never set - likely no pollinator. I’m currently working on removing them.
I keep wondering if I should try again with a more reputable nursery, but I’ve been skunked too many times before by planting fruits I’ve never tasted. I have also been pleasantly surprised — especially by mulberries.
I keep trying to taste Goumi out of other people’s gardens to verify that I like them prior to planting. But… something or someone keeps coming along and strips all of the berries off the shrubs before the gardener even has a taste.
These shrubs aren’t cheap to simply try out. You are supposed to have two varieties for cross pollination. They cost between $30-$36 each in 2024, so upwards of $70 for the pair. Are they worth it?
What do other gardeners have to say about them?
Since I can’t seem to get a taste myself, I turned to polling other gardeners and looking for past conversations. Here’s are the notes I found to share with you:
Positive notes:
GH has them in her yard, they fruit in May. They are tart until very dark red.
AB says the chickens love them in her yard. According to her they are high in protein. Her kids like them too.
MM says they are easy to grow, unbothered by pests.
DP loves their shrubs. Finds harvesting to be labor intensive.
TB has them, very prolific, but if you don’t pick them quickly the birds get to them first.
CM posted photos of very prolific plants, can’t seem to use them all.
KM thinks they are good, but astringent if not perfectly ripe. Sweet-tart. They have 4, so the robins can’t keep up with all the berries, but the robins do like them.
KUR says they are good if they are *very* ripe.
PH says if you let them get SO ripe that they shrivel, then they taste good.
HOEC says they are very good if you let them shrivel so much that you can shake them off the bush. Their volunteers say it tastes like candied rhubarb, smells like lilac.
RR says they like theirs, and want to plant more.
SM says they are tart but edible. Better for making stuff with.
JW says they have a shrub and likes them, but it is hard to know when they are ripe enough to have lost their astringency. Often something will eat all the berries.
JW says that the berries make a good jelly, but it turns grey.
KT likes the flavors, but often the birds strip the berries.
KH says their family really likes them, but the birds tend to strip them. They have Scarlet.
SB has Tillamook and Red Gem. Likes them, they ripen at different times.
JT likes them, but they are astringent unless really ripe. Tastes kind of like pomegranate.
LJ likes them, but husband does not.
TO likes them, they taste a bit like pie cherries.
PD didn’t like them at first, but has grown to like them.
JF really likes them.
MO has 3, can never eat all the berries
MJ loves the fruits, can’t get enough.
AVR says they grow really well for them, a bit unruly and thorny though. Loves the fruit, uses it in various concoctions.
Negative notes:
MB says husband likes them, wife dislikes. Ended up turning into a shrub (drink).
BA has 2 and the taste is terrible. Most go to the birds anyway.
AH says they grow great, taste “meh”
AR says the taste is “not great fresh” Has the Tillamook variety.
OB considers them more like an ornamental, not much of a food crop.
SW says the robins ate them all last year.
SW says they taste like medicine, not in a good way.
CP says they don’t like the flavor at all. Removed.
CBM says the cedar waxwings sure like them.
KP says they don’t like the flavor, makes their mouth feel strange.
AM says she finds them “meh”.
EA says the big seed makes them more of a novelty than a real food item.
KE says they are astringent until extremely ripe, the seed is rather big and they think of them more of an ornamental. The chickens sure enjoy them.
AVP says try them before you buy them. Their neighbor has them and they don’t think they are anything special.
LB says they aren’t palatable to her. Sour and slimy. Considers them a scarcity food.
AT found theirs sweet, but they never lost their astringency. Chickens loved them though.
HLA says hers died from lack of watering or something.
CK says they are small and the birds eat them right away.
JLF thinks they are too tart, and the seed takes up too much of the fruit.
WM says they taste like poo.
TB says her husband likes them - she prefers to feed hers to the chickens.
ES has Sweet Scarlet and having a hard time finding a pollinator for it.
KL said theirs died, after fruiting well.
CB says they are sour. Otherwise unremarkable.
The takeaway:
Goumi berries seem like a good choice for those who:
-Have limited sun exposure
-Enjoy feeding birds
-Like the security of having very early-season fruits
-Have poultry to feed
-Have tasted them, and really enjoy the fruit
After having read through both positive and negative experiences, my decision is to opt out of buying the expensive shrubs from the nursery. If I find an inexpensive opportunity to add them to my garden for my chickens and the occasional nibble, I will add them to a shadier spot (sun is a precious commodity here). But Goumi is not a priority fruit for me.
Instead I opted for purchasing an Early Bird mulberry, which sets its main crop in June, so, not that different of timing than the Goumi. I love my mulberries, though I haven’t found anyone in our region trialing this variety.
Stay tuned for reviews!
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Drop me a comment below with your experiences!